Russian Roulette: An Action-Packed Spider Shepherd SAS Novella

by Stephen Leather

Russian Roulette is an action-packed novella featuring Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd during his SAS days, before he signed up as an undercover cop and worked for MI5.
The Soviet Union has collapsed, but Russia is still very much a threat on the world stage.
Russian troops are preparing to cross the border into Belarus, threatening its independence. The only thing facing them are an armed partisan group but they are poorly trained and will be no match for the Russians.
The British Government wants an independent Belarus as a buffer against Russian expansion - so Shepherd is despatched with a crack SAS team to help the partisans. The mission is covert, deniable, and dangerous.
And as the Russians prepare to attack Belarus, assassins are at work, carrying out an audacious series of killings. All the victims are supporters of Boris Yeltsin, the first President of Russia. But the killings are only the prelude to a final assassination - someone wants President Yeltsin dead. And it’s up to Shepherd and his team to ensure that doesn’t happen.


Stephen Leather is one of the UK’s most successful thriller writers, an eBook and Sunday Times bestseller and author of the critically acclaimed Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd series and the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective novels.

125 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2021

About the author

Stephen Leather was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. His bestsellers have been translated into more than ten languages. He has also written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock and the BBC's Murder in Mind series. For much of 2011 his self-published eBooks - including The Bestseller, The Basement, Once Bitten and Dreamer's Cat - dominated the UK eBook bestseller lists and sold more than half a million copies. The Basement topped the Kindle charts in the UK and the US, and in total he has sold more than two million eBooks. His bestselling book The Chinaman was filmed as The Foreigner, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan and grossing more than $100 million.

Reviews

[Nick Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novella from the SAS days of a young “Spider” Shepherd. His small team are despatched to offer clandestine support to beat back a Russian invasion into Belarus.

Set in the time towards the end of Boris Yeltsin’s time leading Russia, things are changing in Russia and Shepherd and his team are caught in the middle of it.

The good things about these books are seeing a younger version of a great character with some SAS action thrown in for good measure. The historical context gives extra interest, it certainly made me look up the history of the time to help me frame it.

The author obviously had fun with this and fans of SAS type military action will too.

[Joe Lumley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

As always, the action is fast and furious! The story is well researched and has a great plot. Spider is a born leader and his team are well rounded. Love these books! Thanks Stephen!

[Phil Altimas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book , Mr Leather must do some mad research
the early days of spider do help to flesh out the books
basically spider and his team are sent to fight the Russian army as they invade Belarus
well written and action packed, as always

[Alan Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spider and Co head to Belarus to help partisans thwart a russian attack then head to Minsk where they must put their lives on the line to protect Russian Premier Yeltsin from his own people's assassination plot

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

Another great story story by Stephen featuring Spider Shepherd. Full of action with plenty of detail and a story that moved at a fast pace. Looking forward to reading more.

[Andy Loftus · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been half decent if it wasn’t so silly in terms of the almost superhuman qualities of the SAS and the generalised ‘rubbishing’ of every other nations special forces in comparison.

It read like a Marvel storyline but with a less believable plot. 💩

[Valentina Rigby & Steve Rigby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good spider book

I read it in 3 nights good read, i have always enjoyed Stephen leather and this didn’t let me down

[Jeffrey W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Below par

Not up to the usual standard. Poor plot. A tough read that took 5 days. Normally read his books in a day

[Stephen Litchfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing

Enjoy enjoyed to begin with them it just got to far fetched won't be reading one of these in the very near future a shame because I used to like cheese books

[Peter dixon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Flimsy plot for Stephen. I’ve read every book and this was disappointing. Now The Chinaman was in a different league.

[Mrs A. J. Turbfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and enlightening.

A return for me to this type of reading, not a bit disappointed, it was a rollercoaster ride but I survived.

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An SAS story, featuring insertion into Belarus to assist partisans fight incursions - some of it reads like a military weapons catalogue though

[Gail Radka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading fast paced exciting and true to life

[Dave Livesey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fast read ... all action.

[David Hutson]

Good short story

A good short story to keep you interested and on the edge of your seat as always from an excellent author the Spider Shepherd story lines are always exciting